Creamy Turnip Soup Recipe

Looking for a delicious soup for a chilly winter day? Grab some turnips, potatoes, and your slow cooker and prepare to be impressed with the results. We combined these hearty root vegetables with garlic, thyme, chicken stock, and a little heavy cream to make a deliciously creamy and smooth soup with little hands-on time. An immersion blender makes pureeing this soup a breeze, but if you don’t have one, you can transfer the soup to a blender. We love topping this turnip soup with crispy bacon and sautéed turnip greens, but you can also toss on some croutons and a drizzle of olive oil. Make this soup vegetarian by omitting the bacon and replacing chicken stock with vegetable stock.

Ingredients

4 cups unsalted chicken stock

1 1/4 pound medium turnips, chopped

1 1/4 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 garlic cloves, smashed

4 thyme sprigs

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup heavy cream

6 thick-cut bacon slices

6 cups chopped turnip greens (about 1 lb.)

How to Make It

Step 1

Combine stock, turnips, potatoes, onion, garlic, thyme sprigs, salt, and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW until vegetables are very soft, about6 hours. Remove and discard thyme sprigs. Add cream, and process soup using an immersion blender until smooth. (Or transfer to a blender, and remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape. Secure lid on blender, and place a clean towel over opening in lid. Process until smooth.)

Step 2

Just before serving, cook bacon in a non-stick skillet over medium until crisp, 6 to8 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels, reserving drippings in pan. Add turnip greens to skillet; increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted and beginning to brown just around edges, about 3 minutes. Crumble bacon. Serve soup topped with crumbled bacon and wilted greens.